The new news 24 thread

[Herts van Rental]

With regard to the Honda Insight in an earlier post, just been reading Honda are discontinuing that car at the end of the 2014 Model Year due to poor sales.

I also read the older models have had their Battery Packs renewed 3 times under warranty in the US of A. at around 3 Grand a time.

 

JK.

[Angrydicky]

OMG NOT VW PINEAPPLE VANS SPLITSCREEN SWALLOWTAIL RATLOOK

 

 

The roofrack will actually serve a practical purpose, when I go round Wales in a few weeks time I plan to put the spare wheel on the roof to make more room in the boot for camping gear, tools and stuff. It's actually a 70's rather than a 50's rack, and started out life on my grandad's MK2 Escort estate in 1977. Despite this, I think it really suits the scruffy 'old boy workhorse' look of the car, so will probably be a permanent addition.

 

Don't worry, I won't be filling it full of pointless shit to try and look cool. 

[xtriple]

The battery packs are warranted for eight years so no worries for me there... yet! Had a pleasant chat with the service manager while I was there. He joined the company when he left school as a wrench and worked his way up. He reckoned that they had never changed a battery pack on any of the hybrids except for an early (99) insight, and only then 'cos Honda wanted the pack back for testing.

 

I went on a few of the American forums the other night, just looking around, as you do. The yanks seem to complain about everything from the fact it's not a sports car to the fact it's lightweight and feels it! There was quite a bit of good info on there to be honest (no alternator/starter motor on the hybrids) and a lot of info on hyper-miling, which I'm not interested in. I'll be happy if it does 40 to the gallon as I don't do many miles a day,

 

It's quite a funky looking thing from the front and inside but the side view is.... nondescript - could be a Pious or anything.

[Luckythirteen]

I KAN HAZ LIFTY TOOLZ!

 

From B&Q of all places. They should be ideal for doing more servicing and whatnot at home. The bottle jack is my first hydraulic lifting device and is GR11 compared to the standard Volvo jack so it might find its way into the boot. Quality looks good and they weren't too dear either.

Bottle jacks make handy rams for bending/spreading metal too, at a pinch.

[mrbenn]

I KAN HAZ LIFTY TOOLZ!

 

From B&Q of all places. <SNIP>

 

I had a look at that range of tools when I was in B&Q the other night. They looked good to me.

 

Incidentally, a 3/8" drive 8mm deep socket from Halfords was nearly £4, my local motor factor was £3.20, this new B&Q range had one at about 85p!

[xtriple]

The post above about Honda Hybrids having three new battery packs scared the poopers out of me (needed, been a bit 'bunged up' of late   )  so I've been reading all the American forums... apparently that quote is quite famous....

 

Not true, thank fook! Seems very few of the Honda Hybrids have had any problems with the battery packs but, the 12volt battery under the bonnet does fail with alarming regularity! When it does, you've lost the lot, which seems bloody stupid to me but apparently the 12V runs all the relays etc and with that flat, the car is fooked!

 

It's the same system as has been used since '99 with no problems. Reports of gen 1 Insights with 500K on the clock over there, still going strong. I really like the early Insights, maybe I'll become an eco-freak and buy one of them as well, then start wearing sandals made out of cannabis and hair shirts!

 

Imcidentally, if you put it in 'eco' mode you get a plant symbol on the  dash and if you are a good boy, you can get up to three plants. They look, for all the world, like a cannabis plant, not that I'd know what one looked like of course....       

[twosmoke300]

Id love a 99 insight , proper lightweight economy car

[Lord Sterling]

This weekend I shall mostly be driving... this.

Arses.

 

Whats the reason? I know you mentioned something along the lines of delivering it fae someone. Is this a new little sideline or a one-off job?

[vulgalour]

40mph on a 40mph road, good visibility, slightly damp conditions, man behind in a Vauxhall paying more attention to his phone call than his driving.  As a result I was paying more attention to both not getting run into and not breaking the speed limit and realised too late that I was barrelling towards an advised (with good reason) 15mph corner.

 

Somehow managed to make it around the corner, on my own side of the road, at 40mph.  Got a very vocal four wheel drift but managed to hold it together and come out the other side with a bit of a wiggle on.  A little bit of poo may have come out.  Did not want!

 

I did try and just slow down to make him go past me, but I was really genuinely concerned he couldn't see me and was going to run into me and on that stretch of road there simply wasn't anywhere to go but at least as fast as he was.  He didn't go around the corner at 40mph, but he did catch up with me shortly afterwards and continued to try and climb into the car!

 

Maybe he was just angry that he was driving a Vauxhall?

[dollywobbler]

Not done a fill-up, but the Maestro just about did 290 miles before I wimped out and put fuel in. I reckon that's still low 40s MPG. That'll do. Took it to the seaside today. I must say, it does just gewt on and do things.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

~ Announcement ~

 

It has come to my attention that electronic 'breakerless 'ignition systems are newfangled tosh which have no place in a classic automobile. This lesson, courtesy of a possessed brown Rover, has taught me that any technology on a car which was not present in 1975 should be removed and ground into a fine powder as the first step of any fault diagnosis. You may use a mortar and pestle for this. 

 

Big Tobacco will retain its newfangled tosh... for now. Stay tuned to CONELRAD for further information.

[rml2345]

I had a look at that range of tools when I was in B&Q the other night. They looked good to me.

 

Incidentally, a 3/8" drive 8mm deep socket from Halfords was nearly £4, my local motor factor was £3.20, this new B&Q range had one at about 85p!

I have to say that's what attracted me to them to start with. Bought a BFO 22mm 1/2 inch drive socket as I needed one the same day. Was only a couple of quid and it was excellent. Aldi of all places is decent for tools on a budget too.

[ruffgeezer]

If you only need to use them once, they are fine, any regular use and it is worth paying a little more for something made if actual metal.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Lobbed the Mav on Autotrader for the bargain* price of £990 ONO.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201407185926929/postcode/?atcide=emc-cars-FTL002

Two things struck me about your ad.

1. All the caravans in the picture make it look like it's retiring from a life of stealing diesel off farms.

2. Why does the word BEIGE appear randomly in the middle of the text,is it an AS code thing?

[Micrashed]

Two things struck me about your ad.

1. All the caravans in the picture make it look like it's retiring from a life of stealing diesel off farms.

2. Why does the word BEIGE appear randomly in the middle of the text,is it an AS code thing?

The word BEIGE is Autotraders autofill thing where it decides what colour your car is and puts it in big friendly letters randomly in the middle of the advert. For some reason Autotrader think that it is Beige. Perhaps there is an element of Beigeness from running a 1996 Ford Maverick that Autotrader are all too aware of and whist the actual colour is Aubergine metallic, Autotrader know, they just know that if you drive this you will be embodying the very essence of Beigeness.

 

And I hadnt actually noticed that - I think I'll leave it.

 

I suppose I could drive it down some country lane and try for some "staged" photos of the car, at least there are a reasonable selection of photos rather than a half arse shot of it rammed up against a garage wall.

[cms206]

 

Whats the reason? I know you mentioned something along the lines of delivering it fae someone. Is this a new little sideline or a one-off job?

It belongs to a friend of the family, paying job to get it to Dublin 'cos they can't be arsed. Works for me

[cort16]

Well after the departure of all those 'orrible germans I'm well into the daily grind with the Avantime having done nearly a 1000 miles in it. Now there's no doubt the quality isn't quite up their on the Avantime on the inside v za germans but it's so different you can can forgive the rattly sunroof and wobbly bits of trim. It handles surprisingly well I wonder if renaultsport had anything to do with setting up the handling as it goes around corners too well for something that size? I guess weight has something to do with it as it seems pretty much all the outer body panels are either plastic or aluminium. fuel wise I'm getting 34mpg, which is not far off 10 better than the 520! The result of pez being slightly cheaper and a half decent mpg figure means my commute fuel bill is really not that much more than when I was using my year old C220d.

The roof and windows all going down is awesome but anything above 35mph you'll go deaf and blind from all the noise and wind coming in. The aircon doesn't work either so will all that glass and hot weather it;s like a flippin greenhouse.

 

The one thing that has came up is there is a definite clunk from the front somewhere. It's either a ball joint or a stut top mount and it's not getting any better. My commute is about to go from A roads to motorways so I recon I'd better get it looked at before I lose a wheel at 80mph.

All in all I love it and is the perfect antidote to BMW owner ship. I've had a couple of electric spasms after I filled it up it said the range was 200 then 50 then 500 then 90 then finally settled on the right number.

[Luckythirteen]

Made by Matra, weren't they? Bit of old school F1 pedigree in its' rattly bones!

 

Finally, my not nearly so cool Regie has fully functional ABS and driver's window. A bit of soldering and trim clip roulette, and it's all good. A morning well spent.

[cort16]

Yes built by matra, which is why they're supposed to be better built than normal renners.

[michael1703]

There's an engine steady in the osf upper corner, the bush disintegrates

 

Looks like this

 

[cort16]

Sounds likely as it only passed it's MOT a few weeks ago. I bet it's about 700 quid.

[michael1703]

£25

[cort16]

sold!

[michael1703]

Don't know if it is that yet though, take the plastic thing off the top and watch as someone lets the clutch up if the engine moves about

[Junkman]

 

~ Announcement ~

 

It has come to my attention that electronic 'breakerless 'ignition systems are newfangled tosh which have no place in a classic automobile. This lesson, courtesy of a possessed brown Rover, has taught me that any technology on a car which was not present in 1975 should be removed and ground into a fine powder as the first step of any fault diagnosis. You may use a mortar and pestle for this. 

 

Big Tobacco will retain its newfangled tosh... for now. Stay tuned to CONELRAD for further information.

 

 

It is indeed true, that the RoD never really ran right, since I had yet again succumbed to the lure of shiny shit from China, and installed a breakerless ignition conversion. Atrocious OMGMPG and what basically amounts to being a V7.5 resulted. After two years, and a whopping 1,600 miles of frustration, I finally reverted to good old points and condenser, exactly what God and Fred Duesenberg used in the first place.

The result: the car is completely transformed and feels like any self respected car should feel like, all the way through the OMGRPM range.

 

If I was dictator, I would make those clowns, who came up with this newfangled breakerless witchcraft tosh, track down each and every one they unloaded onto an unsuspecting public, and replace it with some proper stuff, free of charge, before I finally cut off their balls, and put them in my Christmas pudding.

[Asimo]

Lightning getting near, unplugging expensive IT electronics now!

[dollywobbler]

Maestro has breakerless ignition and runs like a dream. Whereas our Mini with the same engine was bloody hopeless on its points and condenser. 2CV uses points-assisted (aftermarket kit) and just works. I don't like full electronic ignition on the 2CV though, having had two units fail.

[Skoze]

Hey Autoshite, i'm gonna take my 1952 Land Rover to a cr00z tonight after a year parked up - do I leave the roof on in case it rains/ thunders, or do i say #YOLO and leave it at home, then drive for an hour or so to the event with the screen down feeling like an absolute fucking champ? 

[cobblers]

Well, I was thinking about buying a newish car on the tick to replace my mk3 golf that is due for an MOT next month. I still might, but first I'm going to look at an early 106 Rallye that has no MOT or tax and has been stood for a year which I will probably buy because I always buy any car I go and see. It's also been just long enough since I owned a 106 for me to forget all the incurable suspension knocks and chocolate rear axles, and only remember the lovely noise the 1.3 rallye engine makes with a proper exhaust on it. 

[Bucketeer]

Hey Autoshite, i'm gonna take my 1952 Land Rover to a cr00z tonight after a year parked up - do I leave the roof on in case it rains/ thunders, or do i say #YOLO and leave it at home, then drive for an hour or so to the event with the screen down feeling like an absolute fucking champ? 

 

Screen down, roof off, playing it like a don. Every time.